TV

For these types of TV gigs, A-list film talent can fetch as much as $450,000 an episode. Once the bread and butter of up-and-coming DJs and daytime talking heads, the role of TV emcee is becoming the domain of A-listers. Marquee comedy stars Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish have both signed on to host Big Four unscripted projects, the former replacing Steve Harvey on NBC's onetime smash Little Big Shots and the latter fronting a Kids Say the Darndest Things reboot, which ABC has fast-tracked for a fall premiere. The pair join the likes of movie stars/emcees Alec Baldwin (ABC's Match Game), Jamie Foxx (Fox's Beat Shazam), Dwayne Johnson (NBC's Titan Games) and, as of June 12, Elizabeth Banks (ABC's Press Your Luck). For these types of gigs, talent of this caliber can fetch as much as $450,000 an episode. "It used to be just sticking the right talking head in," says NBC Entertainment Alternative and Reality Group president Meredith Ahr. "But now you have to focus on finding somebody … [Read more...] about TV Game Shows Increasingly Reel In Movie Star Hosts

CLEVELAND, Ohio – “Deadwood: The Movie,” which HBO premieres at 8 p.m. Friday, May 31, opens in darkness but not in silence. First, before any flicker of light, there is that familiar sound – the relentless rhythmic clackety-clack of a train rumbling down the tracks.The train, moving through a tunnel, emerges into bright sunshine warming a rugged western landscape. We cut to a glimpse of Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert) on horseback. Like the train, she is making a lot of noise. Like the train, she is heading for Deadwood, that South Dakota town where so many fascinating characters crossed paths. That’s right. We’re going back. It has been a long delayed, much-desired return trip for “Deadwood” devotees. It has been about 13 years since the plug was abruptly pulled after three ferociously brilliant seasons of this acclaimed series.Could this possibly have been worth the wait? The aptly named master of the expletive, saloon owner Al … [Read more...] about ‘Deadwood: The Movie’ is a splendid return trip

Fear not, Meet the Press anchor Chuck Todd is just as exasperated this Friday evening as you are. On his MSNBC show, Todd addressed President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on the Mueller probe, noting to his panel that the commander in chief’s escalating rhetoric has become unremarkable. “By the way, the president just throws out the words ‘treason’ and ‘coup’ all the time. And we all have become numb to it. I feel like that’s problematic, you know? That we’ve become this numb. I know it is,” Todd said. “It seems like we’ve all thrown up our hands. ‘Well, that’s just how he speaks.’ He doesn’t even know the definition of treason,” the anchor continued. “Right. Of course, plenty of people accused him of treason from the left side when we’re not at war with Russia,” said New York Times correspondent Charlie Savage. “The word needs to be retired.” … [Read more...] about MSNBC’s Chuck Todd Exasperated By Trump’s ‘Treason’ Rhetoric

Finding a pro-Trump voice on CNN got more difficult this week as it was reported that the president has called upon former Virginia Attorney General and CNN contributor Ken Cuccinelli to fill a Homeland Security post. Cuccinelli had been a contributor at the network until Tuesday when CNN’s John King mentioned he’s “no longer” a part of the commentator line-up, further thinning and already slim roster of right-wing viewpoints at the channel. It’s common for news organizations to end contracts or stop compensating personalities when such a conflict of interest arises, but CNN in particular has struggled to keep conservatives on retainer in recent years. The Turner news giant fired Trump backer Jeffrey Lord over a tweet joking about Nazis and removed Ed Martin following comments he made on his radio talk show that fellow CNN panelists he appeared with were “black racists.” Earlier this year onetime lieutenant governor of South Carolina Andre … [Read more...] about CNN Claims Balance, But Pro-Trump Contributors Disagree

May 24 (UPI) -- Anna Kendrick has signed on to star in and executive produce a new anthology series titled Love Life that will appear on WarnerMedia's upcoming streaming service. Love Life will follow the love story of a different protagonist each season with each episode detailing a different relationship. Kendrick will be joined by executive producer Paul Feig who directed Kendrick in 2018 comedy-drama A Simple Favor. The first season will contain 10, half-hour episodes. The series was created by Sam Boyd who is also directing. Lionsgate Television is producing with Jessie Henderson, Bridget Bedard and Dan Magnante also serving as executive producers. The WarnerMedia streaming service, which will include HBO, will have a invite-only soft launch in 2019 before officially releasing in early 2020. Kendrick, best known for starring in the Pitch Perfect series, is set to star in a new animated series on Facebook Watch alongside Zac Efron. … [Read more...] about Anna Kendrick to star in anthology series ‘Love Life’